Carbon pile regulator



Sept. 13, 1949. w RElcHEL 2,481,782

CARBON PILE REGULATOR Filed Sept. 26, 1945 Wig/l 4 i ii;

- I NVENTOR WLHD/M/R HLEXF/NDEH HE/L'HH.

AT TOR NEY- of the distance between Patented Sept. 13, 1949 2,481,782 cannon PILE REGULATOR Wladimir Alexander asslgnor to Bendix boro, N.

Relchel, Hackensack, N. 1., Aviation Corporation, Teter- J a corporation of Delaware Application September 26, 1945, Serial No. 618,687 2 Claims. (Cl. 201--51) The present invention deals with electrical regulators and is concerned primarily with regulators of the so-called carbon pile type."

At the present time carbon pile regulators have come into general use for such purposes as controlling the voltage of the output of generators and also in the governing of current.

All of these carbon pile regulators operate on the principle of varying the pressure applied to the carbon pile; the range of effective pressure on the pile being the regulating range of the regulator.

There has now come into fairly widespread use a regulator which is characterized as including the usual carbon pile, one end of which is relatively fixed. Operatively associated with the other end to apply pressure on the pile, is an armature and this armature is carried by a spring of the leaf type having a plurality of spring fingers which engage at the extremities thereof, an inclined abutment formed on the electromagnet.

The force of the electromagnet is rendered effective on the armature, and the spring above referred to, tends to urge the armature towards the pile, while the magnetic force tends to withdraw the armature from the pile and to force the spring fingers into abutting relation along the inclined surface of the abutment provided on theelectromagnet so as to approximately vary the force exerted by the spring inversely as the square the armature and magnet so as to effect basic correspondence with the changes in the magnetic force.

With carbon pile regulators of this type considerable mechanical difficulty has been experienced in obtaining desired regulating effects due to the difficulties incident to calibrating the several spring fingers to the inclined abutment, so as to give the effect desired. Moreover, the latter spring has a characteristic which outside its normal limited working range and with lower forces is quite different from that within its limited working range. Thus upon wear of the carbon pile which inevitably results through use, this latter characteristic often results in high voltage and consequent failure of control and damage to the electrical system.

An object of the present invention, therefore, is to simplify and improve the aforenoted spring construction.

Another object of the invention is to provide a resilient diaphragm of normal flat construction having the characteristics aforenoted without the necessity of an inclined abutment. It has been by use of a resilient diaphragm having suitable kinks or corrugations so as to effect a spring rate having basic correspondence with the changes in magnetic force as the armature moves in relation to the electromagnet. It has been found that such resilient diaphragm type springs are ideally suited for this purpose since the spring characteristics may be readily made to match those of the electromagnetic force acting upon the armature as the air gap varies.

Another object of the invention is to provide an armature spring arrangement of the type described of high emciency and of such simplicity in construction as to be readily adaptable for manufacture and installation at low cost.

These and other objects and features of the invention are pointed out in the following description in terms of the embodiment thereof which is shown in the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only, and are not designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had to the ap-- pended claims for this purpose.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a regulator embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the spring diaphragm assembly;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the diaphragm.

Referring to the drawing of Figure 1, there is provided a bottom plate I on which is mounted a casing 2. The bottom plate and casing 2 are formed of a suitable ferro-magnetic material. A core 5 of similar ferromagnetic material proiects from the bottom plate I into an electromagnetic winding I wound about the core I! and positioned within the casing 2.

Positioned on the casing 2 is an annular member III which is fastened to the bottom plate I by suitable screws i2, one of which is shown in the drawing.

A housing 20 of a type such as shown in the copending application of William G. Neild. Serial No. 570,002 filed December 27, 1944, now Patent No. 2,427,805, issued September 23, 1947, is fastened to the annular member ill by screws 2 l Mounted within the housing 20, as shown in greater detail in the aforenoted application, is a non-conducting tube II of a suitable refractory material, such as porcelain. The tubular member 25 carries carbon discs 30 forming a carbon pile. A contactor member 35 is positioned between one end of the carbon pile ll and an armature plate found that the foregoing may be accomplished to 36. The contactor member II is positioned in a assures cup shaped securing member 4d mounted on the armature plate 36.

The armature plate 35, as shown in Figure 2, is positioned at one side of an annular sheet metal diaphragm 45. At the opposite side of the diaphragm 45 is positioned a second armature plate 38 and the leaf spring 45 is clamped between the armature plates 36 and 48 by suitable fastening screws 49.

As shown in Figure 2, the diaphragm 45 is positioned in an annular ring 50 having a seat portion 5i. The outer annular edge portion 52 of the diaphragm 45 rests on the seat 5| and may be secured thereto by solder or other suitable fastening means.

The circular diaphragm 45 is made 01 a suitable spring sheet metal oi appropriate thickness, and has formed therein corrugations 53, 54 and 55 of proper depth and design to provide the desired spring characteristic for matching the varying pull of the magnet 1 on the armature 48 as the distance between the armature 48 and magnet changes.

It is notable that the outer edge portion 52 of the diaphragm 45 is fixedly mounted in the annular ring In and the diaphragm 45 extends across the ring l0 suspending the-armature 48 therein. Axial movement of the armature 48 in the ring Ill is accommodated by the kinks or corrugations 53, 54 and 55 formed in the diaphragm 45.

From the foregoing it will be seen that there is provided a novel and compact armature spring assembly of such simplicity of construction as to be readily adapted for manufacture and installation at low cost.

Although only one embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, various changes in the form and relative arrangements of the parts, which will now appear to those skilled in the art, may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Reference is, therefore, to be had to the appended claims for a definition of the limits of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a regulator of the class including a carbon pile, a solenoid having an essentially non-linear magnetic force characteristic, and said solenoid including a pole piece and an armature for varying the compression of said carbon pile; the improvement comprising a flexible diaphragm spring member having a first portion thereof secured to said armature for applying a pressure to the carbon pile in opposition to the pull of said solenoid, anchoring means suspending said diaphragm spring member and armature in operative relation to said solenoid, said diaphragm spring member having a corrugated portion intermediate the first portion and said anchoring means, said corrugated portion movable with said armature under magnetic force of said solenoid in a direction tending to affect said corrugated portion so as to develop a tension force opposing the magnetic force of the solenoid and constituting the sole supporting means for opposing the action of said solenoid, the corrugated portion so constructed and arranged as to continuously increase said tension force in excess oi. a linear relation as said armature approaches the pole piece of said solenoid and to eifect basic correspondence with the changes in the magnetic force of said solenoid due' to such movement of the armature.

2. In a regulator of the class including a variable carbon pile, a solenoid having an essentially non-linear magnetic force characteristic, and an armature actuated by said solenoid for varying the compression of said carbon pile, the improvement comprising an annular flexible metallic diaphragm spring member secured to said armature at the center thereof for applying a pressure to the carbon pile in opposition to the pull of said solenoid, and means for anchoring the peripheral edge of said diaphragm for preventing movement thereof during fiexure and-suspending said diaphragm and armature in operative relation to said solenoid, said diaphragm having annular corrugations formed therein intermediate the armature and the peripheral edge and constituting the sole means opposing the action of the solenoid for applying a substantially uniform tension force throughout the area of the diaphragm and opposing the action of said solenoid upon movement of said armature by the magnetic force of said solenoid in a direction tending to affect said corrugations so as to develop a tension force opposing the magnetic force of said solenoid to continuously increase said ten sion force in excess of a linear relation of said armature approaches said solenoid and to eflect basic correspondence with the changes in the magnetic force of said solenoid due to such movement of said armature.

WLADIMIR ALEXANDER REICHEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,191,992 McLarn Feb. 27, 1940 2,332,140 Finnegan Oct. 19, 1943 2,394,753 Crotch Feb. 12. 1946 2,419,491 Cartner Apr. 22, 1947 

